Mapmaker changes with the times

We’re also talking about how technology has changed things. So in a world with OnStar, Mapquest and all those navigation systems both on-board and in-phone, how about those folding maps we all know?

Rand McNally, the best-known mapmaker in the world that came out of Chicago, publishing maps shortly after the Civil War, has gone through a lot of change.

Here’s a rundown of some of their history, much of it obtained from the company’s website:

1868 – Andrew McNally and William Rand begin their partnership and establish Rand McNally & Company; they take over the Chicago Tribune’s printing shop and agree to print tickets and timetables to serve Chicago’s booming railroads.

1872 – The first-ever Rand McNally map appears in the December issue of the Railway Guide.

Author: Steve Tarter

Born in England, raised in Boston, I'm a Midwestern transplant who's called Peoria home for the past 40 years. Married with four grown children, I enjoy journalism, film noir and radio drama. As the song goes, I like coffee; I like tea. Former president of the Apollo Theater in Downtown Peoria, I'm looking for a new raison d'etre.
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